Mama's TOO! Upper West Side — Restaurant in New York

Update 3/19/25:

Finally- “The Soup Dictator of Pizza” created indoor space for us to eat their $$$ slices. And they didn’t cheap out on the napkin’s, Brad.

For years, I basically only ate here if I happened to walk by and the lines were manageable, aka less than 5 mofos ahead of me. Translation: 1-2x a year. At best.

Eating their slice immediately, instead of 10 minutes later at the crib, is a game changer. There’s so much room to eat inside that even if the annoying tourists and non neighborhood slugs are here, ya still got a chance to snag a standing room only spot, Gyna.

The house slice is now the best margarita slice from 96th - 106th, from the Hudson River to Columbus (until Made In NY opens *tbd) • 8.6 /10, but that’s because I actually ate it here instead of taking it home in it’s cardboard coffin. Why has no one designed a pizza box that lets the steam out ? It’s not rocket science- small holes, Karen.

The only reason this isn’t the best pizza joint in the neighborhood is because of the unusual ordering process to call in for a pie, but mostly because of the limited available option to order the pizza that I truly want. I admire their North Korean arrogance, they’re basically saying: these are the pizzas we will let you eat & you can choose round or square… on some of them, absolutely zero modifications- and if ya don’t like it:

No Soup For You !!!

That said, what they do have is special & unique. And this new ability to eat immediately is gonna make me fat…ter. Original review(‘23) Skip, it’s irrelevant now:

Fancy pizza?

If it doesn’t offer a beef patty- it’s either a $1 spot or a fancy one.

Reasons why it’s annoying here:

•The lines. Not worth it. •The ordering process- one at a time inside. •You can’t choose toppings, the menu is preset and it’s their world not yours, Miss Squirrel. •No indoor- only outdoor shack, no heat. •Ordering a pie is via online, only. The process is easy, they’ll tell you it’s gonna be an hour but they always finish early. That’s what she said.

Reasons its worth it:

•they are efficient, you’ll get it faster than you’d think •all their slices are above average •the squares are not dense and heavy, it’s lighter with excellent crunch •round also has good crunch crust and thin

Pass on the Angry Nona, if you’re salt sensitive. The Soppreseta is very salty and it covers a lot of territory on the slice.

The slices are above average, overall. On a Portnoy scale: they’re a 7.7 Sal & Carmines down the street is a 7.2 Marinara even further down is the best in the hood at 8.1

That said, preordering pies for a night in, is the move. But with that comes the $$$, you’re going to spend over $30 or $40 for a pie. It’ll feed 2-4 though, depending on the beasts you’re trying to feed.

Destination: no Portion to price: 2/5 House slice:...

I had heard a lot about this place and decided to give it a try. By coincidence, while I was on the Upper West Side, I passed by and decided to stop in.

Let’s start with the service. It’s a small store with a big line, so they manage the crowd by taking one order at a time. You pay first, and then you wait outside until your receipt number is called.

The pizza itself was tasty, though a bit too salty for my taste. I tried two slices: the Upside Down and the House Pie. They hand your order to you in a paper bag, but there are no napkins inside—something to note if you're planning to eat on the go. Speaking of which, it's best to eat the pizza right away. After about five minutes, it cools down and loses some of its appeal.

I enjoyed the crunchiness of the House Pie slice. It was thin, flavorful, and had a great texture, but again, the saltiness stood out. The Upside Down slice was hearty and filling—almost a meal in itself—and delicious, though equally salty. I’m not sure if the heavy salting was just a one-off issue that day or if that’s their usual style. Of course, no one expects pizza to be bland, but in my opinion, this was a bit overdone. Perhaps it’s due to the cheese they’re using.

Beyond that, there’s not much else to say. I’m not sure I’ll return to this particular location, mainly because there’s no indoor seating. If they have another location with space to sit and enjoy the pizza fresh and at the right temperature, I might consider visiting again.

As a business owner, I can’t help but think they’d benefit from expanding into a larger space in the same area. Offering indoor seating would give customers a chance to enjoy their pizza more comfortably. That said, I understand their current setup might be more profitable—it’s likely part of their...

Mamas Too, is NOT worth the hype or the wait. Don't wast your time. I stood outside after placing my order for a slice of "roni cup" pizza. They think they are a nightclub, they keep customers milling in front , waiting in line to make it look like it's the place to be After I ordered, 9 mins later my slice goes from the shelf to a rack in front of oven. The oven was 3/4 empty, but the game to keep people waiting is heat 1 or 2 slices at a time, when the oven and staff certainly can heat multiple slices at a time. So, on a cold night, I stood in front for 26 mins to get a slice. I was number 96, and when I placed my order, the number the were calling to pick up was 91. Yes, it does go in order, so there was hardly any people, but Mamas Too, plays a game of having a fake line to make it look popular, while wasting the time of their customers. The pizza slice was so, so at best. Plentiful pepperoni, but the bread was way too thick, and the sauce was dripping off the slice, way too much. Cheese quality and quantity was ok. I will never buy anything from the fake hype Mamas Too Pizza shop again. I would say they need more capable labor, but their labor was plentiful and plenty competent, they are obviously under instructions from owner to maintain a "line". Fake line.. shame on you, my time is not going to be wasted by Mams Too, for mediocre pizza ever again. Based on other reviews I've read. This is the consensus... FAKE LINE, to make it look popular. Typical NYC scam... The jig is up... if Mamas Too had better service, instead of focusing on deception to give the illusion they are so busy, because their product is so good... in the end they would sell more product, and make more money, isn't that what it's really...